Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How old is the plumbing?

1950s

The pipe may be cast iron and is not smooth like new PVC. Could be a blockage - as other person said, don't flush baby wipes etc. Could also be much worse - a broken pipe.

You will need to get the plumber in. If the snaking doesn't resolve it, they might put a camera down to see what is going on.

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone recommend a plumber to snake the outdoor and basement drains? We have a small family owned plumber and they don't do it, so I'm looking for recs. DC. I made a few phone calls and a number of companies don't do this.

Michael and Sons.

Can anyone recommend a plumber to snake the outdoor and basement drains? We have a small family owned plumber and they don't do it, so I'm looking for recs. DC. I made a few phone calls and a number of companies don't do this.

Anonymous wrote:Or backup from lint from the washing machine. No big deal, get it snaked and measure how far out. Generally your basement drain is not a main drain and ties into the main sewer line further out.

We have had this problem a couple of times, and the lint from the washer does seem to be one culprit. Our washer and garbage disposal lines empty into the floor drain and what backs up/ out is black, kind of smelly, decomposing food waste. We have learned that those stickers that come on fruit do not decompose at all. They come out perfectly intact in the middle of the sludge. We get the drain snaked whenever we have a plumber around for other stuff--every 2 or 3 years.

Anonymous wrote:Don't flush tampons or flushable wipes.

Don't wash rice down your sink drain, not a single grsin.

We've had similar backup clogs that have required long length snaking and this is what our plumber told us also. And no cereal either.

It is a sewer line.

Anonymous wrote:How old is the plumbing?

1950s

Or backup from lint from the washing machine. No big deal, get it snaked and measure how far out. Generally your basement drain is not a main drain and ties into the main sewer line further out.

How old is the plumbing?

Don't flush tampons or flushable wipes.

Don't wash rice down your sink drain, not a single grsin.

This happened to us too, and the first time it was maybe because of rain. There was a downpour and it was a new house. So we didn't know. The second time, it was total backed up sewer (I was draining the tub) and we needed remediation and a basement re-do. So get it looked at ASAP. Our plumber also recommended against installing a one-way valve, since if something got blocked, it would just keep going up and overflow the kitchen sink, a shower or toilet upstairs! So he built an access panel and we just plan to snake it every year.

Use a plumber and make sure they measure how far out they find the clog. In our case, the clog was actually past our property line so WSSC eventually reimbursed us the $700 charged by the plumber.

We just had this happen.

The black crud is just bits of the cruddy lining of the cast iron pipe that are coming up with the water. Ours bubbled up while we happened to be down in the basement, and the smell is just sewer gas that is coming up with the water bubbling up. Had our plumber out the next day and he uses a massive industrial-type snake for this job and he snakes a good 100 feet down, almost out to the street. Says it needs to be done once in awhile.

Haven't had a problem since.

Call a plumber and get it snaked in the morning. Or, you can rent a snake and DIY.

And the water had small uniform black crud in it, like black sand almost. The nearby washing machine was running and it was also raining. The puddle was a few feet wide (got trapped by doormat). It perhaps smelled a bit like sewage but not terribly so.

What is this? Sewage backup? Water table rising from the rain? Laundry drain clog? And are we screwed if we go to bed tonight?